Middletown High School Grads Told to Look to Future: What They Are 'About to Be'

By far the highlight of the Middletown High School Class of 2011 commencement Tuesday night was the witty and theatrical address by valedictorian Zachary Fletcher, soon to be a Harvard University freshman majoring in Latin and Greek.

He summed up his speech with the Greek word, “futurus,” with a translation, “about to be, not might be or could be, but about to be.”

Two hundred and eighty six seniors graduated and, as Principal Robert C. Fontaine told those gathered, “this is the oldest diploma-issuing high school in the state of Connecticut, established in 1840. This is the 171st graduating class. No other high school in Connecticut can make that claim.”

The list of prestigious schools these graduates will move on to, Fontaine said, include “Harvard, Columbia, New York University, Yale, Taft, Villanova, Berkeley, University of Maryland .. I could go on and on. It’s a dramatic feat.”

Salutatorian Dilovan Serindag, who will advance to Wesleyan University to study astronomy and physics for a career in research and to become a university professor, chose time as the theme of his address.

“Time never stops or rewinds,” Serinag said. “We can never relive our high school career, we have only our memories.”

Popular and vivacious senior class president, the petite Pauravi Chhaya, looked back on the first year the class of 2011 spent housed at the former Middletown High School, now Woodrow Wilson Middle School.

“We were homeless high school students for one year,” Chhaya said. “We dealt with leaky roofs and trash bins in the hallways.” She then said that “89 percent of our class has chosen to further their education.”

Assistant Principal Colleen W. Weiner introduced Fletcher. “While trying to unearth some molecule of dirt on this young man,” Weiner said to much laughter, “there was nothing, not one cue missed in band or orchestra. He is a young man of utmost character.”

Fletcher’s humorous and charismatic address began with him explaining the obstacle of writing a valedictorian speech.

“So I turned to the greatest problem-solver of our generation, the Internet. … I went to essays.com. I’m pleased to say all I had to do was hit copy and paste,” Fletcher said. He continued wryly, “Dear Class of 2004 … I mean 2011, and distinguished city slash town officials ...”

He then continued his oration in bombastic Latin, complete with dramatic hand gestures. “I know I’m a nerd, but I’m not that much of a nerd,” ended his speech.

Mayor Sebastian Giuliano spoke on behalf of all the parents gathered, telling the graduates, “I hope that all of you will find your passion” and declared Wednesday Middletown High School Class of 2011 Day in the City of Middletown, and asked Chhaya to accept the proclamation as her last duty.

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